Signal strength in field test mode for iOS 15

Been playing around with this and under   LTE - Neighbor Cell Measure - there is a nbr_RSRP with a positive number like 25 that changes with my cell connection.  When I go to zero bars the number goes way down almost to zero and when connection in bars and Mbps goes up so does the number like 25 or 33 for instance. Not sure how this reads in db’s but the RSPQ does the same. Just a thought… 

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Might have an answer. Ref. my previous post… 

RSRP means Reference Signal Received Power. It is a measurement of received power on an LTE network and is given as an ASU - Arbitrary Strength Unit - number. It is a value proportional to the received signal strength measured by the mobile phone.  This ASU number can be converted to the received dbm value. The ASU number is the one found in LTE - Neighbor Cell Measure - nbr_ rsrp 

There is a formula for each network  and the simple formula for LTE is the ASU number subtracted by 141.

Example ASU of 26. - 141 = -115 dbm… 

This should be your signal strength…

If you have an LTE connection only try it, see how it works for you… Thoughts?

Thanks for your research on this. It is very interesting and likely helpful, but I'm not following how to get to the ASU number in LTE - Neighbor Cell Measure. When I enter field test mode in IOS 15.02, I see the same screen that spikedesmith pasted above and haven't found a way to get to the ASU number. Would you please elaborate? Thanks!

Hi Joe,

in the photo above by Spike, on the right side you will see three small bars. Click on them and in the next screen you will see Heading of LTE . Scroll down and you will see nbr_rsrp and nbr_rsrq. The RSRP is the ASU positive number and the RSRQ is the signal quality number.

These action only work for LTE. Not sure how 5G readings are…

Hope this helps.

Glenn

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for the explanation. Unfortunately, I seem to have a different menu structure on my iPhone 13 Pro running IOS 15.02 connected to Verizon with both 5G and LTE. When I click on the three small bars, all that I see under LTE are "ConnectionStats", "Rach Attempt", and "Serving Cell Info". None of those menu branches leads to entries for RSRP or RSRQ. Under a category called "RAT", there is a "Cell Info" branch. When I click on it, I do find entries for RSRP and RSRQ. However, they just have a zero and a ribbon-shaped marker next to them. If I click on one of the markers, it simply colors it in. They do not lead to any further information or options. Thoughts?

Thanks,

Joe

Hi Joe,

i, too, have IOS15 but only connect to LTE. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten into 5G yet. Kinda’ sounds like you may be connecting to 5G and LTE through an NSA - Non Stand Alone - mode (using both) and I have not looked at that yet; I’m still using LTE.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will pick up on this and will give us the info. Sorry, Joe, wish I could help…

Glenn

Thanks, Glen. Although my phone and cellular plan both support 5G, it is slow in our area so I have LTE only selected in my iPhone settings. Not sure why my menu structure seems so different from yours, but I do appreciate your efforts to help me.

Thanks,

Joe

Maybe RACH is used only in the field test mode on iPhones equipped for 5G technology.

I have a SE 2nd gen and it is not 5G capable. In my field test mode nowhere does RACH show up. So I am thinking that only on 5G phones will RACH be seen in the field test mode.

Maybe another tech can confirm this possibility… Hope this helps some…

I think Rach Attempt under LTE will provide the Signal readings values.